Mobile risk assessment

ABSTRACT

A query is received from a particular endpoint device identifying a particular wireless access point encountered by the particular endpoint device. Pre-existing risk assessment data is identified for the identified particular wireless access point and query result data is sent to the particular endpoint device characterizing pre-assessed risk associated with the particular wireless access point. In some instances, the query result data is generated based on the pre-existing risk assessment data. In some instances, pre-existing risk assessment data can be the result of an earlier risk assessment carried-out at least in part by an endpoint device interfacing with and testing the particular wireless access point.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C.§120 of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/548,194, filedOct. 18, 2011, entitled “MOBILE RISK ASSESSMENT”, and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/548,224, filed Oct. 18, 2011, entitled“MOBILE RISK ASSESSMENT”, which are each expressly incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety.

This application is a continuation (and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/339,221, filed Dec.28, 2011, entitled “MOBILE RISK ASSESSMENT,” Inventors PrasannaGanapathi Basavapatna, et al. The disclosure of the prior application isconsidered part of (and is incorporated by reference in) the disclosureof this application.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates in general to the field of computer securityand, more particularly, to security of mobile computing devices.

BACKGROUND

The Internet has enabled interconnection of different computer networksall over the world. The ability to effectively protect and maintainstable computers and systems, however, presents a significant obstaclefor component manufacturers, system designers, and network operators.This obstacle is made even more complicated due to thecontinually-evolving array of tactics exploited by malicious softwareauthors. Moreover, computing environments themselves are evolvingthrough the rapid proliferation and popularity of mobile computingdevices, including smart phones, tablets, laptops able to connect to theInternet using wireless or mobile communication networks employing suchtechnology as WiFi, WiMAX, 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, LTE, and others. As thenumber of mobile or wireless-enabled computing devices explodes,computer security providers are attempting to develop programs and toolsfor managing security on these devices and adapting computer securityservices to new and evolving security issues with mobile computerdevices, including network-based threats, mobile operating system- andmobile application-specific vulnerabilities, and so on. Additionally,the rapid deployment of mobile computing devices has also introduced newgenerations of users connecting to wireless and mobile networks, in somecases introducing a lower security awareness on the part of the devices'users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of an example communicationsystem including one or more mobile computing devices in accordance withone embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of an example system including anexample mobile risk assessment engine in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a representation of an example use of a compromised wirelessaccess point;

FIGS. 4A-4D illustrate examples of assessing wireless access points inaccordance with at least some embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of assessments of multiple wirelessaccess points in accordance with at least some embodiments;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an at least partial screenshot of anexample user interface in accordance with at least some embodiments; and

FIGS. 7A-7B are simplified flowcharts illustrating example operationsassociated with at least some embodiments of the system.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OVERVIEW

In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be embodied in methods that include the actions ofreceiving a query from a particular endpoint device identifying aparticular wireless access point encountered by the particular endpointdevice, identifying pre-existing risk assessment data for the identifiedparticular wireless access point, and sending query result data to theparticular endpoint device characterizing pre-assessed risk associatedwith the particular wireless access point.

Further, in another general aspect, a system can be provided includingat least one processor device, at least one memory element, and awireless access point risk assessor. The wireless access point riskassessor, when executed by the processor, can receive a query from aparticular endpoint device identifying a particular wireless accesspoint encountered by the particular endpoint device, identifypre-existing risk assessment data for the identified particular wirelessaccess point, and send query result data to the particular endpointdevice characterizing pre-assessed risk associated with the particularwireless access point. In some instances, the system can also include adevice risk assessment tool adapted to calculate a risk profile for theparticular endpoint device based on a set of device attributes includingrisk associated with wireless access points accessed by the particularendpoint device.

These and other embodiments can each optionally include one or more ofthe following features. A risk assessment of the particular wirelessaccess point can be completed with the particular endpoint device. Riskassessment feedback data can be received from the endpoint device inconnection with at least one assessment task performed by the particularendpoint device. The received risk assessment feedback data can be usedto determine a risk profile for the particular wireless access point.The pre-assessed risk associated with the particular wireless accesspoint can be considered in the determination of the risk profile. Thefeedback data can include at least one of a service set identifier(SSID), data describing encryption used by the wireless access point,splash page information, and wireless access point password information.The risk assessment can include the particular endpoint deviceattempting to communicate with a trusted endpoint over the particularwireless access point, and monitoring the attempted communication withthe trusted endpoint over the particular wireless access point to assessrisk associated with the particular wireless access. Attempting tocommunicate with the trusted endpoint can include attempting toestablish a secured connection between the particular endpoint deviceand the trusted endpoint, and establishing the secured connection caninclude receiving expected trust verification data from the trustedendpoint. Receipt of data other than the expected trust verificationdata can be presumed to indicate that the particular wireless accesspoint is untrustworthy, suggesting higher risk associated with theparticular wireless access point. Participating in the risk assessmentof the particular wireless access point can include facilitatingcommunication of the expected trust verification data to the particularendpoint device in advance of the particular endpoint device attemptingto communicate with the trusted endpoint over the particular wirelessaccess point. Participating in the risk assessment of the particularwireless access point can include identifying, to the particularendpoint device, the trusted endpoint device from a plurality ofavailable trusted endpoint devices in advance of the particular endpointdevice attempting to communicate with the trusted endpoint over theparticular wireless access point.

Further, embodiments can each optionally include one or more of thefollowing features. Pre-existing risk assessment data for the identifiedparticular wireless access point can be generated in connection with atleast one previous encounter with the particular wireless access pointby an endpoint device. The previous encounter with the particularwireless access point may have been made, for example, by an endpointdevice other than the particular endpoint device. The pre-existing riskassessment data for the identified particular wireless access point canbe identified from risk assessment records including pre-existing riskassessment data for a plurality of wireless access points identified bywireless-enabled endpoint devices. The query can include geo-positionaldata indicating a location of at least one of the particular endpointdevice and the particular wireless access point. The query result datacan be generated based at least in part on the pre-existing riskassessment data for the identified particular wireless access point andlocation identified in the geo-positional data. A risk profile can becalculated for the particular endpoint device based on a set of deviceattributes including risk associated with wireless access pointsaccessed by the particular endpoint device. A graphical indicator ofrisk associated with the particular wireless access point can be causedto be presented at the particular endpoint device. The query can be sentover a secure connection other than a wireless network associated withthe particular wireless access point. The secure connection can beimplemented over at least one of a wireless mobile broadband connectionand a VLAN tunnel.

Some or all of the features may be computer-implemented methods orfurther included in respective systems or other devices for performingthis described functionality. The details of these and other features,aspects, and implementations of the present disclosure are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an exampleimplementation of a computing system 100 including a plurality ofendpoint computing devices (e.g., 105, 110, 115, 120) capable ofaccessing one or more core networks (e.g., 125), at least partiallywired networks, the Internet, etc. including machines (e.g., web servers130, 135) and hosted resources in the core network 125. For example,endpoint computing devices can access the core network 125 over one ormore wireless access networks (e.g., wireless access networks 140 a, 140b, 140 c, 140 d, 145), including networks utilizing various wirelessnetwork technology and protocols including WiFi networks, mobilebroadband networks (including GSM, CDMA, 3G, 4G, LTE, etc.), WiMAXnetworks, Bluetooth, among others. In some instances, endpoint devices105, 110, 115, 120 can be capable of communicating in a plurality ofdifferent wireless communication environments. For instance, an endpointdevice can be adapted to communicate in both a mobile broadband networkas well as a WiFi network.

In the example computing system 100, endpoint computing devices 105,110, 115, 120 can access a core network 125 over a wireless accessnetwork (e.g., 140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d,) using a particular wirelessaccess point (e.g., 150, 155, 160, 165) capable of facilitating accessto core network 120 over a corresponding wireless access network (e.g.,140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d, 145). Wireless access points can include oneor more devices adapted to communicate wirelessly, over radio signals,with one or more endpoint devices and connect an endpoint device to awired network connection, router, or other network element or network.Wireless access points 150, 155, 160, 165 can themselves includewireless routers, universal repeaters, WiFi arrays, wireless bridges,wireless Ethernet adapters, mobile access points, and the like.

Through the proliferation of wireless-enabled endpoint devices and thesimilar expansion of wireless access points in users' homes, places ofemployment, schools, retail outlets, restaurants, coffee shops,airports, communities, etc., new computer security threats andvulnerabilities are being introduced. In some implementations ofcomputing system 100, a mobile security tool 170 can also be provided toassist in facilitating security of wireless-enabled endpoint devices.Mobile security tool 170 can include one or more computing devices andsoftware modules, including devices and software remote and/or local toendpoint devices using security functionality and services providedthrough mobile security tool 170. In some instances, mobile securitytool 170 can communicate with endpoint devices over a networkconnection, including wireless networks. Such connections, in someinstances, can be encrypted or otherwise secured and permit mobilesecurity tool 170 to upload, send, push, or otherwise communicatesecurity information and services to a client endpoint device. In someinstances, mobile security tool 170 can interact with client endpointdevices and receive data including security requests, device attributedata, threat data, feedback data, and other information that the mobilesecurity tool 170 can use and respond to in connection with securityservices and functionality provided through mobile security tool 170 towireless-enabled computing devices (e.g., 105, 110, 115, 120).

In general, “servers,” “clients,” and “computing devices,” includingdevices used to implement mobile security tool 170, can compriseelectronic computing devices operable to receive, transmit, process,store, or manage data and information associated with the softwaresystem 100. As used in this document, the term “computer,” “computingdevice,” “processor,” or “processing device” is intended to encompassany suitable processing device. For example, the system 100 may beimplemented using computers other than servers, including server pools.Further, any, all, or some of the computing devices may be adapted toexecute any operating system, including Linux, UNIX, Windows Server,etc., as well as virtual machines adapted to virtualize execution of aparticular operating system, including customized and proprietaryoperating systems.

Servers, clients, and computing devices (e.g., 105, 110, 115, 120, 150,155, 160, 165, 170) can each include one or more processors,computer-readable memory, and one or more interfaces, among otherfeatures and hardware. Servers can include any suitable softwarecomponent or module, or computing device(s) capable of hosting and/orserving a software application or services (e.g., services of a mobilesecurity tool 170), including distributed, enterprise, or cloud-basedsoftware applications. For instance, servers can be configured to host,serve, or otherwise manage web services or applications, such asSOA-based or enterprise web services, or applications interfacing,coordinating with, or dependent on other enterprise services, includingsecurity-focused applications. In some instances, a server, system,subsystem, or computing device, including mobile security tool 170, canbe implemented as some combination of servers that can be hosted on acommon computing system, server, server pool, or cloud computingenvironment and share computing resources, including shared memory,processors, and interfaces.

Endpoint devices 105, 110, 115, 120 can include desktop, laptop, andtablet computing devices, as well as other computing devices such assmartphones, personal digital assistants, video game consoles,internet-enabled televisions, and other devices capable of connectingwirelessly to an at least partially wired network over one or morewireless technologies and protocols. Attributes of endpoint devices 105,110, 115, 120 can differ widely from device to device, including theoperating systems and collection of software programs loaded, installed,executed, operated, or otherwise accessible to the device. A device'sset of programs can include operating systems, applications, plug-ins,applets, virtual machines, machine images, drivers, executable files,and other software-based programs capable of being run, executed, orotherwise used by the respective devices (e.g., 105, 110, 115, 120).Other device attributes can also include peripheral devices connected orotherwise accessible to the device, and the types of network technologyfor which the device is adapted.

Each endpoint device can include at least one graphical display deviceand user interfaces allowing a user to view and interact with graphicaluser interfaces of applications and other programs provided in system100. In general, endpoint devices can include any electronic computingdevice operable to receive, transmit, process, and store any appropriatedata associated with the software environment of FIG. 1. It will beunderstood that there may be any number of endpoint devices associatedwith system 100, as well as any number of endpoint devices external tosystem 100. Further, the term “client,” “endpoint device,” and “user”may be used interchangeably as appropriate without departing from thescope of this disclosure. Moreover, while each endpoint device may bedescribed in terms of being used by one user, this disclosurecontemplates that many users may use one computer or that one user mayuse multiple computers.

While FIG. 1 is described as containing or being associated with aplurality of elements, not all elements illustrated within system 100 ofFIG. 1 may be utilized in each alternative implementation of the presentdisclosure. Additionally, one or more of the elements described hereinmay be located external to system 100, while in other instances, certainelements may be included within or as a portion of one or more of theother described elements, as well as other elements not described in theillustrated implementation. Further, certain elements illustrated inFIG. 1 may be combined with other components, as well as used foralternative or additional purposes in addition to those purposesdescribed herein.

Turning to FIG. 2, a simplified block diagram 200 is shown of an examplesystem including an example implementation of a mobile security tool205. In FIG. 2, mobile security tool 205 is shown within a computingenvironment including at least one mobile endpoint device 210 adapted toaccess one or more at least partially wired networks 125, including corenetworks such as the Internet or LAN, via one or more wireless accessnetworks 140, 145, including other computing devices, such as webservers 215, present on the network 125.

Wireless-enabled endpoint device 210 can include one or more processors218 and memory elements 220 used to execute software stored, downloaded,or otherwise accessible to the device 210. Endpoint device 210, in someinstances, can further include a mobile wireless adapter 222, wirelessadapter 225, operating system 228, various programs, applications, andother software including software implementing a client security tool230. Wireless adapter 222 can include software and hardware componentsimplementing a wireless network interface controller capable ofconnecting the endpoint device 210 to one or more wireless, radio-basedcommunication networks, such as WiFi-based networks (e.g., IEEE 802.11),Bluetooth networks, WiMAX networks, and the like. Additionally, in someimplementations, endpoint device 210 can further include a mobilewireless adapter 225 allowing the endpoint device to connect towireless, radio-based mobile broadband networks implemented, forinstance, using cellular telephone networking infrastructure and thelike, including mobile networks employing GSM, CDMA, 3G, 4G, LTE, andother technologies and protocols. Adapters 222, 225 can include antennaeand other hardware for transmitting and receiving radio signals to andfrom wireless access network elements in access networks 140, inparticular wireless access points (e.g., 232, 234).

Mobile security tool 205 can also include one or more processor devices238 as well as memory elements 240. Mobile security tool 235 can includea mobile risk assessor 235 adapted to calculate risk of awireless-enabled endpoint devices (e.g., 210), including endpointdevices configured for communicating over mobile access networks. Mobilesecurity tool 205 can interact with one or more wireless-enabledendpoint devices (e.g., 210) in connection with the performance of oneor more computer risk assessment tasks contributing to the calculationof the exposed risk for a particular endpoint device. For instance,mobile security tool 235 (e.g., using mobile risk assessor 235) caninteract with client security tool 230 to coordinate the collection ofdata at the endpoint device 210 for assessment by mobile risk assessor235. Indeed, mobile risk assessor 235 can include a device coordinator255 adapted to identify and communicate with endpoint devices 210utilizing risk assessment services provided by the mobile risk assessor235. In some instances, mobile risk assessor 235 can provide riskassessment services for a plurality or grouping of wireless-enabledendpoint devices, for instance, based on an agreement or contractbetween a provider of computer risk assessment services and deviceowners, administrators, operators, internet or mobile service providers,device manufacturers, and/or other entities associated with a particularwireless-enabled computing device.

Mobile risk assessor 235 can calculate risk exposed to a particularendpoint device based on a variety of factors and inputs. Indeed,different types of risks and risk scenarios can be calculated for aparticular endpoint, including dynamically changing risk. Risk canchange dynamically on wireless endpoint devices 210 particular as theymigrate, given their portable nature, from one physical, network, orcomputing environment to another. Risk calculation module 260 can beused, for example to calculate computer risk, including multiple typesof risk exposed to a particular endpoint device.

As an example, data can be collected from endpoint device 210, forinstance, through security scans of the endpoint device 210, thatdescribe attributes of the device 210, for instance, using datacollection engine 242 of client security tool 230, and other datacollection utilities, used in the connection with the device. Forexample, a particular operating system (e.g., 228), patches and updates,corresponding to operating system 228, as well as other programs andapplication (including “mobile apps”) operating in connection withoperating system 228 can be detected together with informationpertaining to the operating system 228 and other programs executed,installed, or accessed on the endpoint device 210. Such information canbe shared, or communicated, by mobile client device 210 with mobilesecurity tool 205, for instance, over an at least partially securednetwork connection, providing mobile risk assessor 235 data for use indetermining one or more risk profiles for the endpoint device 210. Forinstance, continuing with the present example, attributes of endpointdevice's (e.g., 210) operating system can be assessed, such as thepatches or updates installed on the operating system, for instance, bydiscovering the latest set of updates and/or patches for the operatingsystem, by determining an ideal version or update for the operatingsystem and comparing these against what is actually installed on theendpoint device, or by identifying known vulnerabilities for theparticular operating system installation, etc. In some instances, datacollected (e.g., by data collection engine 242) from the endpoint device210 can describe operating system attributes that are out-of-date,vulnerable to security threats, or otherwise suboptimal and expose theendpoint device to particular know security threats, definingvulnerabilities for the endpoint device.

Depending on the severity of identified security risks orvulnerabilities, as well as the severity of threats determined (bymobile risk assessor 235) to confront a device with a particularidentified set of attributes (or vulnerabilities), risk calculationmodule 260 can determine a risk profile for the endpoint device 210. Therisk profile can pertain to a particular subsystem or category offunctionality of the endpoint device, or represent an aggregate riskfacing the endpoint device. At least a portion of such risk assessmentcalculations and results can be communicated to the endpoint device 210and may be rendered by the endpoint device 210 or programs executing onthe endpoint device (such as the reporting engine 245 of client securitytool 230) to present and communicate risk assessment scores, profiles,or other results to a user or an administrator tasked with remedyingthreats and vulnerabilities facing the device. In some instances, riskassessment results generated using mobile risk assessor 235 can becommunicated to third-party devices, such as an administrator systemused by IT personnel and other administrators tasked with managingsecurity and risk for a particular device or subsets of devices.

Client security tool 230 and mobile security tool 205 can interact andoperate cooperatively to realize one or more security tasks for use inassessing risk of an endpoint device 210. Such tasks can include thedetection of computer risks and threats, as well as the identificationand launching of countermeasures for dealing with and mitigating thedetected risks. A number of security risks potentially threateningwireless-enabled endpoint devices (e.g., 210), including insecurenetwork connections, malware, viruses, unauthorized access, identity anddata theft, among many other threats. Further, some security risksfacing wireless-enabled devices can be particular to devices thatcommunicate within wireless network environments, including wirelessaccess networks (e.g., 140, 145). For instance, with the proliferationof WiFi hotspots, and other wireless access networks, rogue wirelessaccess points have emerged as a popular tool for unscrupulous users toinfect, phish, or otherwise compromise wireless-enabled endpoint devicesunfortunate enough to attempt to access networks, such as the Internet,over the rogue wireless access point.

In some implementations, mobile risk assessor 235 of mobile securitytool 205 can including an access point risk manager 265 adapted toassist in identifying and assessing risks involving wireless accesspoints (e.g., 232, 234) capable of being accessed by one or morewireless-enabled endpoint devices (e.g., 210). Access point risk manager265 can include one or more modules providing functionality forassessing risk of particular wireless access points (e.g., 232, 234).For instance, access point risk manager 265 can include a query engine275, access point record manager 278, access point assessment module280, certificate manager 281, tunneling broker 282, among other modulesand combinations thereof. In some implementations, access point riskmanager 265 can interact and operate cooperatively with an access pointcoordinator 250, for instance, included with client security tool 230.An example access point coordinator 250 can operate locally to aparticular wireless-enabled endpoint device (e.g., 210) and includefunctionality provided by modules such as an access point monitor 270,access point risk avoidance module 272, among other modules andimplementations.

An access point coordinator 250 of a client security tool 230 can beused to monitor and collect data relating to a particular endpointdevice's interactions with one or more wireless access points (e.g.,232, 234). For instance, a wireless endpoint device (e.g., 210) candetect the availability of particular wireless access networks (e.g.,140 a-b) by receiving signals from corresponding wireless access points(e.g., 232, 234). Upon identifying wireless access points within a givenlocation, access point coordinator 250 can communicate with the wirelessaccess points, for instance, using access point monitor 270 and evenattempt to connect to servers 215 on a wired network 125 over thewireless access points so as to collect data pertaining to thediscovered wireless access points. Access point monitor 270 can causedata collected from various wireless access points (e.g., 232, 234) tobe forwarded to mobile security tool 205 for processing and assessment,for instance, by access point risk manager 265.

Access point risk manager 265 can receive data collected by access pointcoordinators operating on a plurality of different wireless-enabledendpoint devices (e.g., 210) describing attributes and behavior of aplurality of different wireless access points (e.g., 232, 234). From thedata received from access point coordinators 250 (e.g., collected byaccess point monitors 270), access point risk manager 265 can utilizeaccess point record manager 278 to build data records (e.g., wirelessaccess point (WAP) records 288) describing and documenting attributes ofwireless access points discovered by endpoint devices (e.g., 210).

Data collected by access point monitor 270 can describe attributes orbehavior of a particular wireless access point that can be used as abasis for predictively determining that a particular wireless accesspoint is a comprised, risky, or rogue access point—in other words, awireless access point that is operating as, appears to be operating as,or that it is susceptible to operation as a mechanism for performingmalicious actions against endpoint devices. Similarly, data collected byan access point monitor 270 documenting one or more encounters with aparticular wireless access point can also be used to predictivelydetermine that the particular wireless access point is a reasonablysafe, reliable, legitimate, or otherwise trustworthy access point.

In some instances, assessing data collected by one or more endpointdevices to determine the risk profile of a particular wireless accesspoint can be performed at the endpoint device 210 itself, at the mobilesecurity tool 205 (e.g., using an access point assessment module 280),or a combination of the endpoint device 210 and the mobile security tool205. Further, the risk profile determined for a particular wirelessaccess point need not be binary (i.e., risky or safe). Indeed, in someimplementations, depending on the data collected for a particularwireless access point as well as the amount of collected data (i.e.,from several monitoring instances), and consistency of the collecteddata, the risk profile of a particular wireless access point can begraded or scored more granularly, for instance, on a continuum, e.g.,from “confirmed rogue” to “confirmed safe.”

In some implementations, client security tool 230 (using access pointcoordinator 250) and mobile risk assessor 235 (e.g., using access pointrisk manager 265) can coordinate to perform a choreographed interactionwith a particular wireless access point in order to collect data fromand assess the security of the particular wireless access point. Forexample, endpoint device 210 can use wireless adapter 222 to identify aparticular wireless access point. To establish a controlled environmentfor performing checks against the wireless access point, client securitytool 230 can coordinate with (in some cases, a remote) access point riskmanager 265 to identify a trusted server or endpoint on core network125. For instance, the trusted server or endpoint can be a devicecontrolled, for instance, by mobile security tool 205, or the operatorsof mobile security tool 205, for which particular security tokens, keys,certificates, etc. are known, so as to identify whether unscrupulousactors are utilizing the tested wireless access point to attack orcompromise endpoint devices using the wireless access point, forinstance, using a man-in-the-middle attack. Further, certificates,tokens, hash functions, encryption keys, and the like can be managed forthe trusted server, for instance, using certificate manager 281.

Upon attempting to establish communication with the trusted server overa particular wireless access point under test, client security tool 230(e.g., using access point monitor 270) can monitor the behavior of thetested wireless access point. Client security tool 230 can report thecollected data to mobile risk assessor 235. In some instances, accesspoint monitor 270 can include logic for identifying that a particularwireless access point is likely rogue or compromised, and the accesspoint monitor's 270 assessment can be communicated to and logged by themobile security tool 205. In other instances, access point risk manager265 can utilize data reported by the client security tool 230 to assess(e.g., using access point assessment module 280) the security of thetested wireless access point or confirm an assessment of security tool230. Further, in some instances, access point risk manager 265 canutilize data reported from multiple encounters with the particulartested wireless access point to reach a particular determination orassessment of the wireless access point's security.

In some example implementations, mobile security tool 205 can assist insecuring a mobile client device 210 participating in the monitoring orassessment of a particular wireless access point from potential threatsposed by rogue wireless access points. In addition to coordinating acontrolled environment for assessing a wireless access point (e.g.,using a trusted server to establish an initial communication over thewireless access point), mobile security tool 205 can also be used toassist in further insulating the mobile client device 210 from threats.For instance, if it is determined that a particular wireless accesspoint is compromised, mobile security tool 205, for instance, usingtunneling broker 282, can assist in coordinating and establishing asecure VPN tunnel over the compromised wireless access point for use bythe endpoint device 210. Through the use of a VPN tunnel, endpointdevice 210 can nonetheless utilize the wireless access network of thecompromised, or rogue, wireless access point while enjoying a level ofsecurity. Additionally, a VPN tunnel can also be established for use bythe endpoint device 210 for use in communicating with mobile securitytool 205. For instance, there would be a high incentive for a roguewireless access point to block or alter data intercepted over the accesspoint from the mobile client device that attempts to communicate therogue status of the access point to the mobile security tool 205.Accordingly, communication of such data, regarding the status andbehavior of a particular wireless access point (including trustedwireless access point) can be encrypted, for instance using a VPNtunnel, or through the use of a different wireless access network,including a wireless mobile access network, determined to be more secureor trusted than other available wireless access networks.

In addition to facilitating secure communication channels, for instance,through the establishing of VPN connections for use by a participatingendpoint device in connection with a particular security or riskassessment of a particular wireless access point, mobile security tool205 and mobile client device 210 can also tailor other actions andfunctionality based on an assessment of a particular wireless accesspoint. For example, in some implementations, records 288 maintained by amobile security tool 205 documenting previous encounters with variouswireless access points (e.g., 232, 234) can be used to perform apre-assessment query of a particular wireless access point. As anillustrative example, an endpoint device 210 can detect a first wirelessaccess point 232 and send data to the mobile security tool 205identifying the wireless access point 232, such as a detected SSID orother identifier for the wireless access point 232, as well as, in somecases, geo-positional data corresponding to the geographic location ofthe wireless access point 232 and/or endpoint device 210. From the dataidentifying the wireless access point 232, access point risk manager 265can perform a query, for instance, using query engine 275, of WAPrecords 288, to determine whether previously collected data exists forthe identified wireless access point 232 and whether previouslycollected data indicates that the wireless access point 232 is likelytrustworthy or not. The results of the query can then be forwarded tothe endpoint device 210. Further, based on the query results, endpointdevice can perform a corresponding action, such as connecting to thewireless access point 232 without a check of the wireless access point232 (e.g., based on a query result indicating that the wireless accesspoint 232 is likely trustworthy), attempting to assess (e.g., withcooperation of and coordination with mobile security tool 205 asdescribed above) the security of the wireless access point (e.g., whenthe query result indicates that no records have been generated for thewireless access point or when there is some question regarding thewireless access point's 232 trustworthiness), blocking the ability ofthe endpoint device 232 to connect to the wireless access point 232(when the query result indicates that the wireless access point is mostlikely a rogue access point), among other examples. Indeed, in someinstances, mobile security tool 205 can assess the results of a query ofWAP records 288 and send a suggestion or instruction to endpoint device210 regarding actions the endpoint device 210 should take with regard tothe detected wireless access point 232.

Data collected through the assessment of various wireless access points,and endpoint devices' interactions with particular wireless accesspoints can be considered in more generalized assessments of a givendevice's risk exposure or security. For instance, data collected from anendpoint device 210, for instance, using data collection engine 242, canbe shared with and maintained by mobile security tool 205, for instance,in device records 290. Data collected from an endpoint device 210describing attributes of the device can be considered among otherdevice-specific data, including an endpoint device's interaction withparticular, known wireless access points, to generate an aggregate riskassessment of the device as a whole (e.g., using risk calculation module260). Such data can be collected, for instance, through scans of thedevice by client security tool 230. In some instances, client securitytool (as well as mobile security tool 205) can be a can be adapted tosupport a variety of different mobile operating environments includingRIM Blackberry (QNX), Google Android, Apple iOS, Microsoft WindowsPhone, Nokia Symbian OS, and others. Client security tool 230, in someexamples, can be implemented as an application downloaded from a trustedsite or distributed via application stores, such as the Android Marketor iTunes. Client security tool 230 (e.g., using data collection engine242) can scan the device. A scan can include includes integrity check ofkey libraries, files/change control or trusted code execution within theendpoint device and based on reputation information of wireless accesspoints, weakness of authentication method, secure connection protocol,encryption method, as well as other security tasks relating to devicerisk or vulnerability assessment.

Data collected by client security tool 230 can be used in riskassessments of the device. Such assessments can further determine, forexample, whether, where, and/or how a particular endpoint device (orgroup of endpoint devices) is at risk. In addition to exposure tocompromised wireless access points, risk of wireless-enabled devices canconsider many other sources, including network threats, operatingsystem- (e.g., 228) or application-specific vulnerabilities, weak dataencryption, unsecured connections, phishing sites, and so on.Additionally, device records 290 documenting various threats and risksfor certain devices with certain attributes under certain conditions canbe used, for example, by risk calculation module 260, in riskassessments of other endpoint devices, multi-endpoint systems,categories of particular endpoint devices, among other examples.Additionally, risk assessment of a particular endpoint device can alsoinclude the consideration and factoring of possible countermeasurespresent on or available to the endpoint device. In some cases, thepresence of relevant countermeasures can be used in the calculation of arisk score for the endpoint device. Further, client security tool 230,in cooperation with mobile security tool 205, can also be used to remedyother threats and vulnerabilities detected on endpoint devices,including the introduction of targeted countermeasures, malware removal,software updates, and other tools and actions.

Turning to FIG. 3, a block diagram 300 is shown of an example malicioususe of a compromised wireless access point 310. For instance, an exampleman-in-the-middle attack is illustrated. An example endpoint device 305can communicate with an example wireless access point 310 over awireless access network 308 to access resources and/or services servedby an example server 315 on core network 312. In the particular exampleof FIG. 3, endpoint device 305 may attempt to participate in atransaction with a server 315 that involves the sending sensitive data,such as credit card information, over the wireless access point 310,under the auspices that a secured session has been established with theserver 315, for instance, using secure socket layer (SSL) protection.Accordingly, endpoint device 305 can expect a certificate, or some othertoken from server 315 to establish the secured session. A maliciouscomputing device 320 can control or otherwise use wireless access point310 to snoop traffic on the wireless access point 310. Indeed, maliciousdevice 320 can intercept and detect a request 322 from the endpointdevice 305 requesting a secure connection with server 315. Further,rather than sending the certificate 325 sent from the server 315,malicious device 320 can send its own substitute certificate 330 andmimic server 315 by establishing a secured session with the endpointdevice 305 and coax the user of the device 305 into confidently sharingsensitive personal data over the secured connection. Malicious device320 can intercept communications (e.g., 335) transmitting such data (aswell as in some cases proxying the data to server 315 so as not toarouse the suspicions of the device's 305 user) and steal theinformation included in the sensitive data 335 for use in otherpotentially nefarious acts.

FIGS. 4A-4D illustrate examples of assessing wireless access points inaccordance with at least some embodiments. Indeed, the exampleapproaches and techniques described in the examples of FIGS. 4A-4D canbe used to mitigate against attacks such as the example attack describedin the example of FIG. 3. In FIG. 4A, a flow diagram 400 a is shownillustrating example communications involving an endpoint device 402,wireless access point 310, malicious device 320, access point monitor420, and trusted server device 405. An endpoint device 402, such as anendpoint device 402 subscribed to, using, or otherwise adapted toconsume security services provided by one or more security tools, candetect a particular wireless access point 310 and attempt to use thewireless access point 310 so as to assess security of the wirelessaccess point 310. The endpoint device's interactions with the wirelessaccess point 310 can progress similar to any other typical endpointdevice use of the wireless access point 310, for instance, so as not toalert the wireless access point 310 or devices (e.g., 320) operating inconnection with the wireless access point 310 that the security of thewireless access point 310 is being analyzed and assessed. For instance,endpoint device 402 can send a request to a particular server, Server A405, and attempt to established a secured connection with the particularserver 405.

The endpoint device 402, in connection with the assessment of thewireless access point 310 can deliberately interact with Server A 405before commencing other communications using wireless access point 310,based on a pre-identification of Server A as a trusted appliance.Additionally, the interaction with trusted Server A 405 can bepre-choreographed so as to assess the risk of the wireless access point310 in an at least somewhat controlled environment. For instance, theparticular certificate, token, encryption keys, digital signatures,watermarks, and other data to be sent by the trusted Server A 405 inconnection with the establishing of a secure connection with endpointdevice 402 can be pre-negotiated, pre-accessed, cached, or otherwise beknown to the endpoint device 402 prior to the endpoint device 402attempting to initiate a secured session with the trusted server 405.Indeed, in some instances, trusted server 405 can be under the control,or even hosted by, a mobile security tool (e.g., 205 of FIG. 2)associated with the endpoint device 402.

Accordingly, endpoint device 402 can send a request to establish asecured connection with trusted server 405 over wireless access point310, in this case expecting a particular security certificate 410 to bereturned by the trusted server 405, for instance, based on arelationship or familiarity with trusted server 405. Continuing with theexample of FIG. 4A, expected certificate 410 can be intercepted by amalicious device 320 utilizing a compromised wireless access point 310,and the malicious device 320 can attempt to substitute the expectedcertificate 410 with its own certificate 330 so as to coax the endpointdevice 402 into establishing a secure connection with the maliciousdevice and mistakenly routing secure traffic over the malicious device320 (e.g., as in the example of FIG. 3). However, in the example of FIG.4A, the receipt of a certificate 330 by endpoint device 402 instead ofthe expected certificate 410 can prompt the endpoint device to suspectthat wireless access point 310 is a rogue access point or has beenotherwise compromised. Accordingly, endpoint device 402 can report 415its findings to access point risk manager 265 for use in cataloguing theincidence of a likely compromised or rogue access point. Such reportingor feedback data can be communicated to the access point risk manager265 over a secured connection 425, such as a VPN tunnel or a mobilebroadband connection. Among the reporting and feedback data that anendpoint device can gather and communicate to access point risk manager265, endpoint device 402 can communicate an identity of the wirelessaccess point 310 (e.g., SSID or other identifier), the type of behavioror characteristics that prompted the report 415, the geographic locationnear which the wireless access point 310 was detected, whether thewireless access point utilized encryption and what type of encryptionwas used, whether a password was required, whether a splash page wasgenerated and received upon connecting with access point, among otherdata describing attributes and behavior of the relevant wireless accesspoint.

Turning to the example of FIG. 4B, in one implementation, discovery ofsuspicious or untrustworthy behavior on the part of a particularwireless access point 310, such as in the example of FIG. 4A, can causecountermeasures to be enacted to protect an affected endpoint device andcounteract threats posed by the wireless access point 310. For instance,as described above, determining that a particular wireless access point310 is untrustworthy, rogue, or otherwise compromised can triggercountermeasures including the establishing 430 of VPN tunnels for use bythe endpoint device in subsequent communications 435 over a particularcompromised wireless access point 310. Indeed, in some instances, theVPN tunnel can be established 430 at least in part through communicationwith trusted server 405 (and/or access point risk manager 265).Tunneling through a compromised wireless access point 310 may beprovided for in particular situations, such as when no other wirelessaccess points are available to a particular endpoint device 402 at agiven time. In other instances, other countermeasures can be provided,such as the blocking of a particular compromised wireless access point,disabling automatic connection to a wireless access point determined tohave a lower degree of trustworthiness, or automatic connection to analternate wireless access point determined to be less risky.

Turning now to the examples of FIG. 4C, in certain instances, riskinherent in using a particular wireless access point can be assessed todetermine that the wireless access point is likely secure, legitimate,or otherwise trustworthy. Ex ante, it may be that an endpoint device 402is not aware of a particular wireless access point's reputation fortrustworthiness, and the endpoint may approach the assessment of thewireless access point as it would any other. For instance, endpointdevice can attempt to assess the wireless access point 438 by walkingthrough the establishment of a secure connection with a trusted server405. Such an assessment can proceed as in the example of FIG. 4A,however, in this example, the expected certificate 410 is returned fromthe trusted server 405 to the endpoint device 402, suggesting to theendpoint device 402 that the wireless access point 435 is potentiallynot a rogue or compromised access point. Indeed, as in the example ofFIG. 4A, endpoint device 402, in the example of FIG. 4C, can report itsfindings concerning wireless access point 438 to access point riskmanager 265, for example, for use by access point risk manager 265 inassisting in the assessment of future encounters with the particularwireless access point 438 (such as described in more detail, forinstance, in the example of FIG. 5 below).

Turning to FIG. 4D, in some implementations, it may be determined thatit is not sufficient to have a single “clean” result returned for anassessments of a particular wireless access point (such as in theexample of FIG. 4C) before determining reliably that a particularwireless access point is secure or trustworthy. For instance, in theexample of FIG. 4D, a more sophisticated wireless access point 460 (ormalicious device 465 executing in connection with the wireless accesspoint 460 or user of malicious device 465) can anticipate that someendpoint devices will attempt to assess the trustworthiness of thewireless access point with a “test” connection before sending the “live”data the malicious device 465 is actually interested in capturing. Suchintelligence could be gleaned by the malicious device 465 (or user), forinstance, based on previous experiences with such a system or otherfamiliarity with the system. Accordingly, a malicious device 465 maywait to initiate a man-in-the-middle or other attack until the endpointdevice's connection with the wireless access point 460 matures. Forinstance, the malicious device may allow one or more first attempts toestablish a particular secure connection to proceed without intervening,so as to trick the endpoint device and/or access point risk manager intoassuming that the wireless access point 460 is secure. Indeed, as shownin the example of FIG. 4D, initial feedback data 445 can be reported tothe access point risk manager 265 from the endpoint device 402 reportingthat an expected certificate 410 was returned from the trusted server405 without incident.

Continuing with the example of FIG. 4D, a malicious device 465 canattempt to phish other secure communications participated in by theendpoint device 402, assuming that such attempts will not be monitored.For instance, rather than returning the legitimate certificate 450 ofServer B 470, malicious device 465 can attempt to mimic Server B 470 andreplace certificate 450 with its own certificate 330. Such attempts,however, can also be dealt with using endpoint device 402 and accesspoint risk manager 265. For example, rather than assessing a particularwireless access point 460 a single time for trustworthiness, an endpointdevice (in connection with access point risk manager 265) can makemultiple, periodic assessments of a wireless access point 460 during theendpoint's 402 use of the wireless access point 460. For instance, a newrisk assessment can be initiated in response to and preceding attemptsby the endpoint device to establish secured connections in live(non-assessment-related) transactions over the network 312. Further,multiple different trusted servers can be employed during these multiplerisk assessments, so that the malicious device 465 does not recognizerepeat communications with the same trusted server and anticipate a riskassessment attempt. For instance, Server B 470 can be a second instanceof a trusted server utilized by the risk assessment system. Indeed, insome instances, a risk assessment system can employ techniques todynamically and randomly rotate the particular trusted server employed,dynamically change the identification, address, or name of the trustedservers, develop trusted relationships with third party servers, such ase-commerce platforms, with which live transactions might be anticipated,employ techniques such as used by botnet systems to make the identitiesof the trusted servers unpredictable, among other examples. Accordingly,delayed attempts to interfere with or initiate an attack on aparticipating endpoint device 402 by a malicious device 465 over acompromised wireless access point 460 can be detected and mitigated.Further, feedback data 455 describing such behavior and characteristicsof the wireless access point 460 can be reported and maintained byaccess point risk manager 265.

Other techniques can also be employed within wireless access pointassessment techniques such as those described above. More sophisticatedmalicious devices taking advantage of compromised wireless access pointscan identify and anticipate, and dodge wireless access point riskassessment using other techniques. For instance, a malicious device maybe able to track and identify recurring certificates or tokens used in achoreographed exchange with a trusted server in connection with a riskassessment. To prevent the detection of a wireless access pointassessment, in some implementations, the value or type of certificate,token, signature, etc. used to establish continued authenticity of dataexchanged between the endpoint device 402 and trusted server 405 canitself be dynamically changed so as not to have a repeating value. Forexample, in connection with the launching of a risk assessment on aparticular wireless access point, endpoint device 402 can coordinate(for instance, with access point risk manager 265) the identity andaddress of the particular trusted server to be used in the assessment aswell as the particular expected certificate (or other token, etc.) thatshould be expected from the trusted server. In this way, both theidentity of the trusted server and the nature of the certificate can beconstantly changed so as to hide its involvement in the risk assessmentof a particular wireless access point. Such coordination with a remoteaccess point risk manager 265 or other coordination tool can occur, forinstance, over a connection not involving the wireless access point tobe assessed. For example, coordination of a risk assessment of aparticular wireless access point can be completed over a wirelessbroadband channel or other, secure connection. Further, while anendpoint's accessing of a particular wireless access point may be theresult of the endpoint not having immediate mobile broadband or otherconnectivity, coordination of a risk assessment can be coordinated inadvance, for instance, when such alternate access networks areavailable. Further, in the event such coordination were not possible(e.g., because of connectivity to a secure channel, or a failure at thepre-coordinated trusted server), access to a particular wireless accessnetwork may be automatically denied based on a determination that thetrustworthiness of the wireless access network may not be reliablyassessed, in some implementations.

While the examples of FIGS. 3, 4A-4D focus on man-in-the-middle typeattacks and identifying rogue access points based on the receipt ofunexpected certificates, tokens, or other data, it should be appreciatedthat these examples are non-limiting examples, provided to illustrate,in some cases, more general principles. For instance, in addition toassessing wireless access point risk based on receipt of an unexpectedcertificate, riskiness of particular wireless access point can beidentified based on inconsistencies identified in communications overthe wireless access point, such as an unexpected encryption type,unexpected splash page data, unexpected password requirement, amongother examples. Further, a degree of confidence in the accuracy orcompleteness of the data set used to assess the riskiness of thewireless access point can also be considered. For example, if the dataset describing the wireless access point is itself incomplete, or theresults of the risk assessment inconclusive, then the reliability of theassessment can be of little confidence and actions available formitigating risk associated with the wireless access point can bewithheld.

Turning to FIG. 5, a block diagram 500 is shown illustrating exampleinteractions of an example mobile security tool 510 with one or morewireless-enabled endpoint computing devices 505 used to assess risk atone or more wireless access points 515, 520. One or more of the wirelessaccess points (e.g., 515) can be a rogue wireless access point 515, forinstance, used by a malicious device (e.g., 535) to phish or snoop datasent over the wireless access point.

In one example, a wireless-enabled endpoint device 505 can identify aplurality of wireless access points within a particular location andinitiate risk assessments of each. For instance, endpoint device 505 canfirst assess wireless access point 515 and begin the assessment bysending data identifying the first wireless access point 515 to themobile security tool 510. Data can include identifier data such as thewireless access point's 515 SSID, as well as other information. Forinstance, in some implementations, an SSID can be reused across multiplewireless access points, such as default or generic SSIDs assigned toout-of-the-box wireless access points. Additionally, in some wirelessaccess points, SSIDs can be changed, and alternate identification datacan be used to identify the wireless access point. As examples, otheridentifier data, as well as data describing attributes of the wirelessaccess point can be identified and included in data sent to the mobilesecurity tool 510, such a geo-positional data corresponding to thelocation of the wireless access point, time of day the wireless accesspoint was accessed, splash page data used by the wireless access point,sign-in or handshake protocol used by the wireless access point,encryption method used by the wireless access points, etc. A variety ofother data can also be used in addition to or in lieu of the above toidentify the particular wireless access point including, for instance,the access point's communication channel, BSSID, vendor, supported datarates, type (e.g., managed, unmanaged, etc.), key, and so on.

Mobile security tool 510 can utilize the identification of the firstwireless access point 515 from data provided by an endpoint device 505to perform a query 540 against a corpus of wireless access pointassessment records 288 and/or other data (e.g., stored in one or morememory elements or data structures (e.g., 285), such as databases, dataobjects, and file systems, etc.) to identify whether the first wirelessaccess point 515 has been assessed before, either using endpoint device505 or some other endpoint device, and what the results of the riskassessment were. Query results 545 can be returned to the endpointdevice 505, for instance, over a secure connection or communicationchannel, including communication over a wireless mobile broadbandnetwork 145, to provide the endpoint device 505 with intelligenceregarding wireless access point 515 before endpoint device 505 connectsto wireless access point 515. Query results 545 can identify datacollected in previous risk assessments of the wireless access point 515allowing endpoint device to process the data and determine the riskinessof the wireless access point 515. In other examples, mobile securitytool 510 can determine or identify a risk score or preliminary riskassessment of the wireless access point 515 in connection with the queryof WAP records 288 and provide the preliminary risk assessment to theendpoint device 505.

Additionally, each wireless access point (e.g., 515, 520) identified bythe endpoint device can be identified and communicated to the mobilesecurity tool to trigger respective queries 540 of WAP records 288. Forinstance, in addition to sending data 538 respecting an encounter withwireless access point 515, endpoint device 505 can also send data 538identifying wireless access point 520. Accordingly, query results 545can be returned for a plurality of different wireless access points(e.g., 515, 520) detected by and available to an endpoint device 505. Insome instances, the query data 545 can be used to identify the relativesecurity or trustworthiness of encountered wireless access points 505.In some instances, the query data 545, itself, can communicate suchinformation, such as through the inclusion of risk scores or riskprofiles identified for the wireless access points 505. In someinstances, such risk profiles (and the query results 545 themselves) canbe based on potentially hundreds to millions of assessment data pointsprovided by various endpoint devices to mobile security tool uponencountering (and assessing) the wireless access points.

Upon receiving preliminary risk assessment data or other query results545 from mobile security tool 510, endpoint device can proceed toconduct assessments of the encountered wireless access points 515, 520,in some cases, in cooperation with mobile security tool 510, one or moretrusted servers 405, and other components. In some implementations, thetype and extensiveness of the risk assessment performed will be based,at least in part, on the returned query data 545 for the wireless accesspoint 515, 520. Other considerations and attributes can also beconsidered, such as the identified locations of the wireless accesspoints 515, 520. For instance, if geo-positional data corresponding tothe locations of the endpoint device and/or encountered wireless accesspoints indicate that the wireless access points are operating in apublic space or a location previously identified as containing one ormore malicious or compromised wireless access points, an extensive riskassessment may nonetheless be performed on each of the detected wirelessaccess points 515, 520, even if the query results 545 of one or more ofthe detected wireless access points 515, 520 indicate particulartrustworthiness of the wireless access points.

In some instances, query results 545 indicating particulartrustworthiness or security of a wireless access point can result in aless extensive security assessment check of the wireless access point,for instance, to confirm previously-identified attributes of thetrustworthy wireless access point (e.g., 520), or skipping of the riskassessment altogether. In instances, where there is some uncertainty asto the trustworthiness of a wireless access point, for instance based onquery results 545 that indicate conflicting behavior, or a scarcity (orentire lack) of records 288 pertaining to the wireless access point.Additionally, if query results 545 indicate that a particular wirelessaccess point (e.g., 515) is believed to be compromised, for instance,based on multiple assessments of the wireless access point 515,connections to the wireless access point may be outright denied, orother assessments can be performed, for instance, to collect anadditional data point concerning the wireless access point 515 andfurther confirm (or potentially cast doubt) on a preliminary riskassessment of the wireless access point 515.

Upon completing risk assessment tasks 525, 530 through interactions withencountered wireless access points 515, 520, endpoint device 505 cansend feedback data (e.g., such as feedback data 415, 440, 445, 455 ofthe examples of FIGS. 4A-4D) to mobile security tool 510 communicatingdata and results collected from the risk assessment tasks. In turn,mobile security tool 510 can supplement its records (e.g., 288) with thelatest feedback data reported by an endpoint device 505. Indeed, in someinstances, feedback data reported by endpoint device 505 resulting fromrisk assessment tasks 525, 530 can change the results of future queriesinvolving the assessed wireless access points 515, 520. For instance, awireless access point 515 may have been identified as potentiallytrustworthy based on prior WAP records 288, but the most recent riskassessment of the wireless access point 515 (e.g., in connection withendpoint device's 505 encounter and assessment) may have identifiedattributes or behavior (such as an attempted man-in-the-middle attack)that result in feedback data being added to WAP records 288 that servesas the basis for a subsequent pre-assessment of the wireless accesspoint 515 as compromised.

In one illustrative example, a user may attempt to connect to WiFinetworks within an airport, or another public place, using a mobilesmartphone. A number of available WiFi networks (or access points) maybe detected and displayed to the user. In some instances, rogue mobileaccess points can lure unsuspecting users into utilizing theirconnection by adopting a name that suggests legitimacy. For instance, inthe Dallas, Tex. DFW Airport, a rogue wireless access point might adopta name “DFW WiFi,” so as to (falsely) suggest to potential users thatthe access point is maintained by officials of the airport or some otherlegitimate source. Indeed in some instances, a rogue wireless accesspoint may adopt (i.e., counterfeit) the exact name of an official accesspoint or hot spot, so as to cause users to select (sometimes blindly)the rogue access point over the actual, sponsored access point. Ininstances where rogue access point detection and/or other access pointrisk assessment functionality is available to the endpoint devices, suchas in some of the previously described examples, the wireless accesspoints encountered by the endpoint device can be assessed fortrustworthiness, according to the principles described above. Indeed, inan example where two different wireless access points are presented withthe same SSID, it can be determined that there is a high likelihood thatone of the two wireless access points is rogue and attempting to mimicthe other, resulting in more diligent risk assessment of the wirelessaccess points, as well as feedback data reporting the likely presence ofat least one rogue access point at the particular location where thewireless access points were detected (e.g., the airport). Indeed,previous identification of rogue access points at a particular locationcan cause enhanced scrutiny of future detected wireless access points atthat location (e.g., as identified, for example, from GPS or othergeo-positional data of the endpoint device). However, in some instances,determining varying trustworthiness of an access point at differentinstances can also, or instead, be determined to reflect poorly on theconfidence of risk assessments for the particular access point. Lowconfidence in the accuracy of a risk assessment also casts doubt onpositive assessments of the access point, low confidence, in someinstances, contributing to an overall indication that connection to thewireless access point should be avoided (i.e., because an assessmentthat the access point is now trustworthy after being assessed aspreviously untrustworthy, casts doubt on the present assessment'sreliability).

In response to pre-assessment queries of existing wireless access pointassessment records and/or assessments of detected wireless access pointswithin a particular location, a user of the endpoint device may bepresented (e.g., through a display utility of the endpoint device) auser interface identifying the available wireless access points in alocation, as well as the relative security or trustworthiness of thedetected wireless access points, together with a measure of the relativeconfidence in the assessments of each detected wireless access point. Auser can use this information, for example, to assess the risks of usingparticular wireless access points. For example, a user may encounteronly a single available wireless access point, or a single wirelessaccess point to which the user is able to connect (e.g., because theuser does not possess a subscription or password to other detectedwireless access points), but may be concerned with connecting over anunknown access network.

To assist users in understanding risks confronting users devices (and byassociation, the users themselves), a user interface can be presented tothe user using the endpoint device, such as the at least partialscreenshot 600 of an example graphical user interface (GUI) 605 shown inFIG. 6. For example, GUI 605 can include a listing of the availablewireless networks (or access points) 610 a-d detected by the endpointdevice at a given time and location. Further, names of the wirelessaccess networks can be presented in the list, as well as otherattributes of the wireless access networks, including the signalstrength of the wireless access point (e.g., at 615 a-d) and whether theaccess point is protected or requires a password, etc. (e.g., at 620a-b). In addition, one or more status indicators (e.g., such ascolor-coded status indicators such as 625 a-d) can be presented in theGUI 605 to indicate the determined trustworthiness of and/or confidencein the assessments of the wireless access points.

As explained above, the determined trustworthiness of a wireless accesspoint, including its displayed status indicator 625 a-d, can bedetermined from an aggregation of risk assessments performed on thewireless access point (e.g., identified from queries of wireless accesspoint assessment records) and/or in connection with risk assessmentsperformed by the endpoint device of each wireless access point (e.g.,such as shown in the examples of FIGS. 4A-4D). In the example of FIG. 6,status indicators 625 a-d can be color-coded, for instance, adopting atraffic light pattern, with a green indicator (e.g., 625 a) suggestingthat a particular wireless access point (e.g., 610 a) is trustworthy, ayellow indicator (e.g., 625 c) suggesting that the trustworthiness of awireless access point (e.g., 610 c) is in question (e.g., 610 c becausetoo few, contradictory, or no assessments have been performed on thewireless access point), or a red indicator (e.g., 625 b, 625 d)suggesting that the trustworthiness of a wireless access point isunacceptably low or in doubt. Determining which of the three color-codedstatus indicators to assign a wireless access point can be based on arisk assessment score for the wireless access point exceeding one ormore thresholds.

In some instances, the risk assessment score of a wireless access scorecan be conditioned on a variety of factors and can vary depending on thepresence of particular factors. For instance, in the example of FIG. 6,a first wireless access point 625 b named “freenet_wifi” can be detectedand, based on previous risk assessments, ordinarily be determined tohave a low risk or high trustworthiness score (e.g., normally affordingthe wireless access point 625 b a corresponding green-colored statusindicator). However, in the example of FIG. 6, a second wireless accesspoint 625 d is also provided that is also named “freenet_wifi.” In suchan instance, and in some implementations, the presence oftwo-identically-named wireless access points can suggest a highlikelihood that one of the like-named wireless access points is a rogueaccess point attempting to impersonate an established, trusted wirelessaccess point. In some instances, a rogue wireless access point (e.g.,625 d) may do a good enough job mimicking another wireless access pointthat it can be difficult for rogue access point assessment techniques todifferentiate between the identity of the two access points.Accordingly, given that there could be a fifty-fifty chance of eitherlike-named access point being the rogue, a red-colored status indicator625 b, 625 d can be assigned to each wireless access point.

Other examples and implementations and scenarios can fall within thescope of the subject matter disclosed herein. As one example, andcontinuing with the example of FIG. 6, a GUI 605 displayed to a user ofan endpoint device can automatically order a listing of wireless accesspoints within the GUI 605 so as to suggest to the user which wirelessaccess point is the most desirable to use. Such a listing can be based,for instance, on which wireless access point has the most trustworthyreputation or risk assessment score. Other factors can be considered, inaddition to risk assessment scores in ordering wireless access pointslisted in the GUI 605. For instance, the signal strength, encryptionprotocol used, and other attributes can also be considered in orderingwireless access points within a presented listing, among other examples.Other GUIs can also be generated that employ wireless access point riskassessment data, including GUIs displaying characteristics of anaggregate risk present on a given endpoint device. Such device-basedrisk assessments, and accompanying GUIs, can include consideration ofwireless access point risk exposure to the device.

FIG. 7A is a simplified flowchart 700 a illustrating an exampletechnique for monitoring a wireless access point encountered by awireless-enabled endpoint device. At least one available wireless accesspoint can be identified 705 by the endpoint device in a particularlocation. In some instances, multiple wireless access points can beidentified as available at the location. A connection can be established710 with the identified wireless access point by the endpoint device soas to facilitate an attempt 715 to communicate with a trusted endpointdevice over the wireless access point. Communication with the trustedendpoint can be established for purposes of creating an at leastsomewhat controlled environment for assessing risk associated with useof the identified wireless access point. Indeed, the attemptedcommunication 715 with the trusted endpoint can be monitored 720, atleast in part, by the endpoint device, to facilitate a risk assessment725 of the identified wireless access point. In some instances,facilitating risk assessment 725 can include performing at least apartial analysis of data returned during the monitoring 720 or bysending data collected during the monitoring 720 to one or more backendtools for analysis and risk assessment, such as described in theexamples above.

FIG. 7B is a simplified flowchart 700 b illustrating an exampletechnique for pre-assessing risk associated with an identified wirelessaccess point. A query can be received 730 from a wireless-enabledendpoint device that identifies at least one wireless access pointencountered by the wireless-enabled endpoint. The query, in someinstances, can be received 730 prior to the endpoint device attemptingto connect to the wireless access point and in connection with anattempt to assess whether the identified wireless access point is safeto connect to. In response to receiving 730 the query,previously-collected or -generated risk assessment data corresponding tothe identified wireless access point can be identified 735. In someinstances, such risk assessment data can be a set of data accumulatedthrough multiple, distinct risk assessments of the wireless accesspoint, for instance, in connection with encounters by multiple differentendpoint devices. In still other examples, it can be identified 735 thatno risk assessment data exists for the identified wireless access point(e.g., because no prior risk assessments have been completed or the WAPidentification algorithm failed or has low confidence, etc.). In anyevent, query result data can be sent 740 to the endpoint device inresponse to the query, the result data characterizing pre-assessed riskassociated with the particular wireless access point. Such query resultdata can include the identified prior risk assessment data itself, datacharacterizing an analysis, summary, or assessment of the prior riskassessment data, and can even include instructions for interacting withthe identified wireless access point (i.e., based on the pre-assessedrisk associated with the wireless access point, as determined from theidentified prior risk assessment data). The endpoint device can then usethis query result data in connection with interactions with the wirelessaccess point, including monitoring of the wireless access point usingtechniques similar to those described in the example of FIG. 7A andelsewhere in this specification.

Although this disclosure has been described in terms of certainimplementations and generally associated methods, alterations andpermutations of these implementations and methods will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. For example, the actions described herein canbe performed in a different order than as described and still achievethe desirable results. As one example, the processes depicted in theaccompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular ordershown, or sequential order, to achieve the desired results. In certainimplementations, multitasking and parallel processing may beadvantageous. Additionally, diverse user interface layouts andfunctionality can be supported. Additionally, while the abovedescription focuses on applying the above principles to the generationof customized whitelists, similar principles can be applied togenerating other such listings used in security tasks, includingtailored blacklists. Other variations are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

Embodiments of the subject matter and the operations described in thisspecification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or incomputer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Embodiments of the subject matterdescribed in this specification can be implemented as one or morecomputer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer programinstructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or tocontrol the operation of, data processing apparatus. Alternatively or inaddition, the program instructions can be encoded on an artificiallygenerated propagated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical,optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encodeinformation for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus forexecution by a data processing apparatus. A computer storage medium canbe, or be included in, a computer-readable storage device, acomputer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memoryarray or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover,while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal per se, acomputer storage medium can be a source or destination of computerprogram instructions encoded in an artificially generated propagatedsignal. The computer storage medium can also be, or be included in, oneor more separate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs,disks, or other storage devices), including a distributed softwareenvironment or cloud computing environment.

Networks, including core and access networks, including wireless accessnetworks, can include one or more network elements. “Network elements”can encompass various types of routers, switches, gateways, bridges,loadbalancers, firewalls, servers, inline service nodes, proxies,processors, modules, or any other suitable device, component, element,or object operable to exchange information in a network environment. Anetwork element may include appropriate processors, memory elements,hardware and/or software to support (or otherwise execute) theactivities associated with using a processor for screen managementfunctionalities, as outlined herein. Moreover, the network element mayinclude any suitable components, modules, interfaces, or objects thatfacilitate the operations thereof. This may be inclusive of appropriatealgorithms and communication protocols that allow for the effectiveexchange of data or information.

The operations described in this specification can be implemented asoperations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored onone or more computer-readable storage devices or received from othersources. The terms “data processing apparatus,” “processor,” “processingdevice,” and “computing device” can encompass all kinds of apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multipleones, or combinations, of the foregoing. The apparatus can includegeneral or special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., a central processingunit (CPU), a blade, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC),or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), among other suitable options.While some processors and computing devices have been described and/orillustrated as a single processor, multiple processors may be usedaccording to the particular needs of the associated server. Referencesto a single processor are meant to include multiple processors whereapplicable. Generally, the processor executes instructions andmanipulates data to perform certain operations. An apparatus can alsoinclude, in addition to hardware, code that creates an executionenvironment for the computer program in question, e.g., code thatconstitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database managementsystem, an operating system, a cross-platform runtime environment, avirtual machine, or a combination of one or more of them. The apparatusand execution environment can realize various different computing modelinfrastructures, such as web services, distributed computing and gridcomputing infrastructures.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, module, (software) tools, (software) engines, orcode) can be written in any form of programming language, includingcompiled or interpreted languages, declarative or procedural languages,and it can be deployed in any form, including as a standalone program oras a module, component, subroutine, object, or other unit suitable foruse in a computing environment. For instance, a computer program mayinclude computer-readable instructions, firmware, wired or programmedhardware, or any combination thereof on a tangible medium operable whenexecuted to perform at least the processes and operations describedherein. A computer program may, but need not, correspond to a file in afile system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holdsother programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markuplanguage document), in a single file dedicated to the program inquestion, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store oneor more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer programcan be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computersthat are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

Programs can be implemented as individual modules that implement thevarious features and functionality through various objects, methods, orother processes, or may instead include a number of sub-modules, thirdparty services, components, libraries, and such, as appropriate.Conversely, the features and functionality of various components can becombined into single components as appropriate. In certain cases,programs and software systems may be implemented as a composite hostedapplication. For example, portions of the composite application may beimplemented as Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs) or design-time componentsmay have the ability to generate run-time implementations into differentplatforms, such as J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition), ABAP(Advanced Business Application Programming) objects, or Microsoft's.NET, among others. Additionally, applications may represent web-basedapplications accessed and executed via a network (e.g., through theInternet). Further, one or more processes associated with a particularhosted application or service may be stored, referenced, or executedremotely. For example, a portion of a particular hosted application orservice may be a web service associated with the application that isremotely called, while another portion of the hosted application may bean interface object or agent bundled for processing at a remote client.Moreover, any or all of the hosted applications and software service maybe a child or sub-module of another software module or enterpriseapplication (not illustrated) without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure. Still further, portions of a hosted application can beexecuted by a user working directly at a server hosting the application,as well as remotely at a client.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform actions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions andone or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally,a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive datafrom or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices forstoring data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks.However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer canbe embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, a mobile audio or videoplayer, a game console, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or aportable storage device (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flashdrive), to name just a few. Devices suitable for storing computerprogram instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory,media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductormemory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magneticdisks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto opticaldisks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can besupplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented on a computerhaving a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquidcrystal display) monitor, for displaying information to the user and akeyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by whichthe user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices canbe used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example,feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g.,visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input fromthe user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, ortactile input. In addition, a computer can interact with a user bysending documents to and receiving documents from a device, includingremote devices, which are used by the user.

Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can beimplemented in a computing system that includes a back end component,e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware component, e.g.,an application server, or that includes a front end component, e.g., aclient computer having a graphical user interface or a Web browserthrough which a user can interact with an implementation of the subjectmatter described in this specification, or any combination of one ormore such back end, middleware, or front end components. The componentsof the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digitaldata communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks include any internal or external network,networks, sub-network, or combination thereof operable to facilitatecommunications between various computing components in a system. Anetwork may communicate, for example, Internet Protocol (IP) packets,Frame Relay frames, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) cells, voice,video, data, and other suitable information between network addresses.The network may also include one or more local area networks (LANs),radio access networks (RANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), widearea networks (WANs), all or a portion of the Internet, peer-to-peernetworks (e.g., ad hoc peer-to-peer networks), and/or any othercommunication system or systems at one or more locations.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In someembodiments, a server transmits data (e.g., an HTML page) to a clientdevice (e.g., for purposes of displaying data to and receiving userinput from a user interacting with the client device). Data generated atthe client device (e.g., a result of the user interaction) can bereceived from the client device at the server.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinventions or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures specific to particular embodiments of particular inventions.Certain features that are described in this specification in the contextof separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in asingle embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described inthe context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multipleembodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover,although features may be described above as acting in certaincombinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more featuresfrom a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from thecombination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the embodiments described above should not be understoodas requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should beunderstood that the described program components and systems cangenerally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described.Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In somecases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a differentorder and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processesdepicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require theparticular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults.

1-25. (canceled)
 26. At least one machine accessible storage mediumhaving instructions stored thereon, the instructions when executed on amachine, cause the machine to: receive, at an endpoint device,information to indicate one or more wireless access points for one ormore wireless networks at a location; send, to a remote security server,information to identify at least a particular one of the one or morewireless access points; receive a request from the remote securityserver for the endpoint device to participate in a risk assessment ofthe particular wireless access point; attempt to communicate with atrusted endpoint over the particular wireless access point to assess theparticular wireless access point; and determine whether data responsiveto the attempt to communicate is consistent with data expected from thetrusted endpoint; and report results of the attempt to communicate tothe security server.
 27. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein theinstructions when executed further cause the machine to send a query tothe remote security server, wherein the query identifies the particularwireless access point and requests a security report associated with theparticular wireless access point.
 28. The storage medium of claim 27,wherein the request is received in response to the query.
 29. Thestorage medium of claim 28, wherein the request is sent in response to adetermination by the security server that insufficient risk informationexists for the particular wireless access point.
 30. The storage mediumof claim 27, wherein the query queries the security server for riskinformation for two or more of the detected wireless access points. 31.The storage medium of claim 27, wherein the query includesgeo-positional data indicating the location of at least one of theendpoint device and the particular wireless access point.
 32. Thestorage medium of claim 26, wherein the endpoint device comprises amobile user device.
 33. The storage medium of claim 32, wherein theendpoint device comprises one of a tablet and a smartphone.
 34. Thestorage medium of claim 26, wherein the instructions when executedfurther cause the machine to: collect information describing attributesof the particular wireless access point; and send feedback datadescribing the attributes to the security server.
 35. The storage mediumof claim 34, wherein the request is received in response to sending thefeedback data.
 36. The storage medium of claim 34, wherein the feedbackdata includes at least one of a service set identifier (SSID), datadescribing encryption used by the particular wireless access point,splash page information, and wireless access point password information.37. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein attempting to communicatewith the trusted endpoint includes attempting to establish a securedconnection between the endpoint device and the trusted endpoint, andestablishing the secured connection includes receiving expected trustverification data from the trusted endpoint; wherein receipt of dataother than the expected trust verification data in response to theattempt to communicate is presumed to indicate that the particularwireless access point is untrustworthy suggesting higher risk associatedwith the particular wireless access point.
 38. The storage medium ofclaim 26, wherein a plurality of attempts to communicate trustedendpoints are to be attempted by the endpoint device during a connectionwith the particular wireless access point to assess the particularwireless access point at a plurality of times during the connection. 39.The storage medium of claim 26, wherein the instructions when executedfurther cause the machine to receive report data from the securityserver identifying results of the monitoring of the attemptedcommunication.
 40. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein theinstructions when executed further cause the machine to receive reportdata from the security server identifying which of the one or morewireless access points is a trusted wireless access point.
 41. Thestorage medium of claim 40, wherein the report data is based on aprevious risk assessment of the one or more wireless access points. 42.The storage medium of claim 41, wherein the endpoint device comprises aparticular endpoint device and the previous risk assessment is based ona previous encounter with the particular wireless access point by anendpoint device other than the particular endpoint device.
 43. Thestorage medium of claim 42, wherein the report data is based at least inpart on the monitoring of the attempted communication.
 44. The storagemedium of claim 40, wherein the instructions when executed further causethe machine to present a graphical indicator of risk associated with theparticular wireless access point at the endpoint device.
 45. The storagemedium of claim 26, wherein the particular endpoint is to communicatewith the security server over a secure connection.
 46. The storagemedium of claim 45, wherein the secure connection is implemented over atleast one of a wireless mobile broadband connection or a virtual localarea network (VLAN) tunnel.
 47. A method comprising: receiving, at anendpoint device, information to indicate one or more wireless accesspoints for one or more wireless networks at a location; sending, to aremote security server, information to identify at least a particularone of the one or more wireless access points; receiving a request fromthe remote security server for the endpoint device to participate in arisk assessment of the particular wireless access point; attempting tocommunicate with a trusted endpoint over the particular wireless accesspoint to assess the particular wireless access point; determiningwhether data responsive to the attempt to communicate is consistent withdata expected from the trusted endpoint; and reporting results of theattempt to communicate to the security server.
 48. A system comprising:at least one processor device; at least one memory element; and anendpoint device comprising a security tool comprising logic to: receive,at an endpoint device, information to indicate one or more wirelessaccess points for one or more wireless networks at a location; send, toa remote security server, information to identify at least a particularone of the one or more wireless access points; receive a request fromthe remote security server for the endpoint device to participate in arisk assessment of the particular wireless access point; attempt tocommunicate with a trusted endpoint over the particular wireless accesspoint to assess the particular wireless access point; determine whetherdata responsive to the attempt to communicate is consistent with dataexpected from the trusted endpoint; and report results of the attempt tocommunicate to the security server.
 49. The system of claim 48, furthercomprising the security server.
 50. The system of claim 48, wherein theendpoint device comprises a mobile user device.